Abrasive blasting system



Nov. 29, 1932. L. D. PElK Y 1,889,131

ABRAS IVE BLASTING SYSTEM Filed May 15, 1930 3 Sheets$heeu l gvwewtoz 1L LOUIS n. PEIK $391 lf fi @btommg Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE P LOUIS D. PEIK, OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE .AIBRASIVE BLASTING SYSTEM Application filed May 13, 1930. Serial No. 451,903.

The invention relates tosand blasting apparatus, and more particularly tov -distributing devices for abrasive.

According to the invention, a distributing head and cooperating apparatus is provided for feeding the mixture of sand and air to a sand blasting machine such as illustrated, for instance, in application Serial N o. 298,- 194i, filed August 8, 1928. In a sand blasting machine for the cleaning of castings and the like, a plurality of blasting nozzles may be used. The abrasive may be supplied from a single'supply tank, and a special form of distributing device may be used to properly and evenly distribute the abrasive to the several nozzles. The distributing device may have the parts thereof at such angles and so disposed as to obtain substantially uniform distribution of the air and sand supplied by the single supply pipe to the several nozzles. An auxiliary or booster connection may also be used to assist in equally distributing the abrasive to the several noz- Zles and to speed up andimprove the efficiency of the blast. v

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the distributing head according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line l4 of Fig. 2; and i Fig. 5 represents a commercial tumbling mill equipped with an abrasive blast system according to the invention.

properly distributing the In the following description and in the claims parts will be identified by. specific;

names for convenience, but they are intended Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 5, a commercial type of tumbling mill is indicated by having nozzle holders 52 which project through the casing of the mill into the interior and support nozzles (not shown) for delivering the blast of air and sand onto the articles to be cleaned. The nozzle holders 52 are supplied by flexible pipes or hoses 30, 31 and 32 which are connected to a distributing head 15 fed by a pipe 10 which is connected to a booster head 57. The booster head 57 is fed by a pipe 56 with a carburetted mixture of air and sand, the air carrying the sand along in suspension. The booster head 57 is also fed by a pipe 58 which delivers a blast of air alone.

The supply pipe 56 isfed by a pick-up valve 54which receives sand from the sand blast tank 53 and which receives air from the source of air supply 55 which also supplies air to the pipe 58. The pick-up valve 54 thus delivers a carburetted mixture of air and sand under pressure to the supply pipe 56. i

Referring now also to the Figures 1 to 45, inclusive, the distributing head 15 has an intake flange 13 provided with a pair of opposed ears 14. The supply pipe 10 is provided with a flange 11, which is connected to the flange 13 by a plurality of nuts and bolts 14a, with the tapered flange 12 interposed therebetween. l

The inlet conduit of head 15 isdenoted by 16, and the plurality of outlet conduits are denoted by 17, 18and 19. The outlet conduits 17 18 and 19' are provided with flat faces 22,20 and 21, respectively, to which are bolted the fittings 26 which are identical in construction.

Each fitting '26 comprises a flange 28 for connecting it to the faces20, 21 and 22 and a tubularportion 33 which receives the pipes 30, 81 and 32, which may be made of rubber 1 0 or some flexible material, and which lead to the several nozzles.

It will be noted from the drawings that the diflerent parts have certain. angular relations. It has been found in practice that the particular angular relations indicated give excellent results, that is, the sand and air are distributed equally to the several nozzles. For instance, the angle between the faces oftapered flange 12 is ten degrees, while the angle that the face 22 makes with the axis 34 of the inlet conduit 16 is also ten degrees.

The'angles which the tubular portions 33 of the fittings 26 make with the flanges 28 is forty-five degrees. Furthermore, it will be seen especially from Fig. 4 that the outlet branch conduits 17, 18 and 19 are disposed at angles of 120. degrees from each other, and that the outlet conduits 18'and 19 are disposed at angles of thirty degrees with the horizontal, or a line running through the bolts 14a. Furthermore, it will be understood that the several tubular portions 33 lie in planes, which also pass through the axis 34 of inlet conduit 16.

.It will be appreciated that a mixture of sand and air does not behave like a simple mixture of gases. Due to the weight of the sand particles they tend to drop in the air stream, and also tend to be thrown to the outside when the stream takes a curved path. It is, therefore, a difiicult matter to. evenly distribute a mixture of sand and air into three equal parts so as to feed three nozzles uniformly. It will be appreciated that by tipping the entire head 15 downwardly by means of the tapered flange 12,. and by further tipping the top fitting 26 which feeds pipe 31 by the inclined surface'22, the pipe 31 might be said to be favored as against the, pipes 30rand 32. This is necessary as the sand tends to drop due to gravity, so that otherwise the pipes 30 and 32 would receive more than their share. The pipes 30 and 32 being connected to fittings 26, which slope downwardly and which are symmetrically disposed with respect to a vertical plane, cause less difliculty in distributing the abrasive equally between themselves.

The booster line 58 supplying additional air to the booster head 57 assists materially in the equal distribution of sand to the nozzles. In addition, the additional supply of air to the mixture of air and sand serves to boost the mixture of air and sand and causes the sand particles to have a greater velocity as they are expelledfrom the nozzles. In this manner an intense velocity may be applied to the abrasive particles through the nozzle orifices and the efiiciency of the blast may thus be-improved considerably. Thusthe booster not only assists inproducing equal distribution of the blast, but also increases the intensity thereof.

While certain novel features of the inven tion have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In an abrasive blast system, a source of carburetted abrasive and air, a single supply conduit leading therefrom, a plurality of discharge elements, a distributing device between said discharge elements and supply conduit, said discharge elements being connected to said distributing device at different levels, said distributing device having means for overcoming the tendency of the abrasive to separate out and favor certain of said discharge elements, whereby substantially equal distribution of air and abrasive to said discharge elements is achieved.

2; In a distributing system for an abrasive blast machine, an intake pipe, a head having an upper outlet and a lower outlet, said head being tipped with respect to said intake pipe to place said upper outlet more in line with said intake pipe than said lower outlet.

3. In a distributing system for a sand blast machine, an intake pipe, a head having an upper outlet and two side outlets, said head being tipped with respect to said intake pipe,

to place said upper outlet more in line with said intake pipe than said side outlets.

4. In a distributing apparatus for a sand blast machine, a substantially horizontal intake pipe, a head having an intake conduit sloping at an angle of substantially ten degreesaway from said intake pipe, said head having a plurality of outlet conduits, at least one'of said outlet conduits facing upward and having a face. which slopes away from said inlet conduit at an angle of substantially ten degrees, at least one of said outlet conduits having a face located in a plane parallelto said inlet conduit, and outlet pipes each connected at substantially 45 degrees with their respective. outlet faces and lying in planes common with said inlet conduit.

5. In a distributing apparatus for a sand blast machine, a substantially horizontal intake pipe, a head having an intake conduit sloping at an angle of substantially tendegrees away from said intake pipe, said head having three outlet conduits, said first outlet conduit facing upward and having face which slopes away from, said inlet conduit at an agle of substantially ten degrees, said second and third outlet conduits having faces located in planes parallel to said inlet c011- duit, said second and third outlet facesbeing disposed one on each side and 120 degrees from said first outlet conduit about the axis of said inlet conduit, and, outlet pipes each connected at substantially. degrees with their respective outlet faces and lying in planes common with said inlet conduit.

6. In a distributing apparatus for an abrasive blast system, a substantially horizontal intake pipe, a head having an intake conduit sloping at an angle away from said intake pipe, said head having three outlet conduits, said first outlet conduit facing upward and having a face which slopes away from said inlet conduit at an angle, said second and third outlet conduits having faces located in planes parallel to said inlet conduit, said second and third outlet faces being disposed one on each side of said first outlet conduit, and outlet pipes each connected at an angle with their respective outlet faces and lying in planes common with said inlet conduit.

7. In a distributing system for an abrasive V blast machine an intake pipe, a distributing head having an upper outlet and two side outlets, said head being tipped with respect to said intake pipe to place said upper outlet more in line with said intake pipe than said side outlets, a source of air and abrasive connected to said intake pipe, a source of air connected to said intake pipe anterior to said distributing head and nozzles connected to said upper and side outlets, respectively,

i whereby substantially equal distribution of abrasive to said nozzles is obtained and the velocity of the abrasive issuing from said nozzles is increased.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS D. PEIK. 

